Contact:

Web scale discovery services are a tool with major potential to transform the nature of library systems. These services are capable of searching quickly and seamlessly across a vast range of local and remote content and providing relevancy-ranked results in the type of intuitive interface that today’s information seekers expect.

This report describes in detail the content, interface and functionality of Web scale discovery services developed by four major library vendors: OCLC, Serials Solutions, Ebsco and Ex Libris. Each of these services is evolving rapidly, indicative of their open framework design and an ongoing expansion of indexed content as additional publisher and aggregator agreements are brokered. Although many similarities among the services are apparent, this report also outlines some observed differences, though these differences are becoming hazy as each vendor adds new functions, features and content.

To help individual libraries evaluate which service will best meet the needs of the library and its community, this report provides detailed evaluation questions and concludes with a section providing additional background information on each service.

This issue of Library Technology Reports can be purchased in print or electronically from the ALA Store.

Jason Vaughan is the director of library technologies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). In this capacity, he serves as a senior administrator and provides overall leadership for three units within the UNLV University Libraries: Digital Collections, Library Systems and Web and Application Development. Vaughan earned his MLS and BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Previous positions at UNLV include Head of Library Systems and Information Systems Librarian. He has published extensively on library and library technology topics, including library automation, digitization, planning and policy. To date Vaughan has served as coauthor and investigator on three funded LSTA grants and has most recently focused on delivering Web scale discovery talks at the local, state and national levels.